Pirates battle elements, bullpen meltdown to outlast Cubs in Paul Skenes' MLB debut

Chances are what happened Saturday at PNC Park was vastly different from what Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes had in mind when he mentally prepared for his first MLB start.

Skenes likely didn’t envision a lengthy 2-hour, 20-minute rain delay pausing play between the Pirates and visiting Chicago Cubs.

He also probably didn’t expect the Cubs to score six of their eight runs because of bases-loaded walks issued by three Pirates relievers.

And finally, Skenes surely hoped to put together a more dominant individual performance in front of the paid attendance of 34,924 fans.

At a minimum, the Pirates’ wacky 10-9 win Saturday ensures Skenes will have a unique memory when reflecting back on his first big-league outing.

“It was really cool,” Skenes said. “Everybody talks about (PNC Park). It’s an awesome stadium, awesome skyline. Fans are awesome. It was an awesome day.”

The Pirates scored all their runs on five homers hit by Connor Joe (three-run), Oneil Cruz (solo), Michael A. Taylor (two-run), Andrew McCutchen (solo) and Yasmani Grandal (three-run).

Skenes pitched four innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts, a pair of walks and a hit batter, taking a no-decision.

When he left the game in the top of the fifth inning, with men on first and second with no outs, the Pirates were in command of the game 6-1.

But Kyle Nicolas, relieving Skenes, could not get the final out of the inning after striking out Cody Bellinger and Christopher Morel.

Nicolas proceeded to hit Ian Happ with a pitch, which loaded the bases.

Then, he issued three consecutive four-pitch walks, with each plating a Cub from third base.

By the time Nicolas was removed from the game in favor of Josh Fleming, the Pirates’ lead was 6-4.

Unfortunately, Fleming fared no better, walking home another run and allowing an RBI infield single to Mike Tauchman, which tied the score 6-6.

Then, thunder and heavy rains showed up over PNC Park, causing a delay that lasted more than two hours before play could resume.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that,” manager Derek Shelton said of the wild inning and ensuing delay.

After the elongated top of the fifth resumed, Colin Holderman was on the mound.

But he suffered from the same baffling accuracy issues as Nicolas and Fleming, walking a further two batters with the bases loaded to put Chicago up 8-6.

Holderman finally got out of the inning and in the bottom of the fifth, Grandal crushed a ball over the Clemente Wall for his first homer as a Pirate, scoring Cruz, who doubled, and Nick Gonzales, who walked, to hand the Pirates a 9-8 lead.

In the sixth, McCutchen went yard, making the score 10-8 Pirates.

“It always feels good to put your team on top,” Grandal said. “Having the lead there for a while, being on a roll, then all of a sudden them tying it and then going up, it was a huge hit, but if we get hit we’re gonna hit right back. We were able to do that tonight.”

In a departure from the third, fourth and fifth innings, when 17 of the game’s 19 runs were scored, the seventh and eighth innings were quiet.

But up two runs in the top of the ninth, with All-Star closer David Bednar on the hill, the Cubs gave the Pirates one final scare, scoring a run and moving a man to third with two outs before Bellinger lined out to right field, ending the game.

Holderman (1-0, 0.82 ERA) earned the win Saturday, with Chicago’s Keegan Thompson, who allowed the home run to Grandal, taking the loss.

Justin Steele started for the Cubs and lasted four innings, allowing six runs on as many hits.

Skenes’ fastball, slider and splinker (splitter-sinker hybrid) came as advertised, but he knows there’s a whole other level to his game he didn’t showcase Saturday.

“Stuff was really good,” Skenes said. “I think I just gotta get ahead of hitters more consistently, but I think that will come. … I just needed to get hitters out quicker.”

Grandal concurred.

“Not the best I’ve seen him, that’s for sure, but I hold him to high standards,” Grandal said. “Just the fact that he didn’t have everything there today and was still able to get through it was huge. We’re going continue going, and I’m assuming he’s gonna have a way better second start.”

Joe opened up the scoring in the third with his three-run blast, which Cruz followed with a solo shot to right-center field.

The Cubs got on the board in the fourth when Nico Hoerner hit a solo homer off Skenes, but Taylor answered with a two-run shot in the bottom of the fourth.